Honestly, Shantou’s economy used to be quite developed. It was once considered one of the twin powerhouses of the special economic zones, right alongside Shenzhen.
It’s just a shame that a mysterious fire burned the entire special economic zone to the ground.
The four of them didn’t head to a hotel. Instead, they went straight to their first stop.
After all, none of the four had eaten dinner. They’d only had a few crackers in the car and were now starting to feel famished.
While the little assistant, Zhou Shishi, was usually very diligent in her work and had researched and noted down some of Shantou’s famous eateries,
most of her notes were based on hearsay from the internet. It certainly couldn’t compare to the authentic knowledge of two locals.
Thus, the job of leading the way fell directly to the Wen Family Sisters.
Wen Churen pushed open the car door, got out, and gave a big stretch. She turned to Li Xiao.
"When you come to Shantou, you have to eat beef hotpot. But the beef isn’t at its freshest at this time of day. I suggest we have it tomorrow morning instead."
Li Xiao had no objection to Wen Churen’s suggestion. A local would naturally know best when and what to eat.
Li Xiao looked up at the bustling shop in front of them and asked curiously,
"So what are we eating tonight?"
Wen Churen explained with familiarity,
"This place has been open for years. It’s been around since we were kids."
"They’re most famous for their rice noodle rolls. The key is that the wrappers are thin and the filling is generous."
"There’s also a place next door that sells raw-marinated seafood, and it’s quite good. I’m just not sure if you can handle it."
Li Xiao wasn’t actually that opposed to eating raw food, as long as it was prepared hygienically.
So, he asked hesitantly,
"I’ve had raw-marinated seafood before, but... a street stall’s? Is it safe?"
He had already glanced around. This seemed to be an old part of the city, and the surrounding environment wasn’t exactly pristine.
Seeing the flicker of worry in Li Xiao’s eyes, the carefree Wen Churen waved her hand dismissively.
"If you’re worried, I’ll take you over to have a look."
"Anyway, their raw-marinated seafood is all made to order. After you pick what you want, they prepare it for you right there on the spot."
With that, she beckoned to Li Xiao and headed off on her own toward the stall next to the rice noodle roll shop.
’This is the first time I’ve ever heard of raw-marinated seafood being made to order,’
The raw-marinated seafood he’d seen before was always prepared in advance. Some were even frozen for 12 to 24 hours to ensure the marinade seeped in completely.
There was also a theory that the long marination time allowed the alcohol to kill off any parasites.
Of course, there was no way to know if that theory was true or reliable.
The raw-marinated seafood stall wasn’t far from the rice noodle roll shop. After just a few steps, Wen Churen stopped in front of a setup composed of three small trucks.
A sizable line had already formed in front of the stall.
Wen Churen quickly bypassed the crowd, went up to the owner who was busy at work, and threw an arm around her.
"Auntie, long time no see! You’re still so young."
The busy stall owner jumped, startled, as a figure lunged toward her.
But when she heard Wen Churen’s voice, her expression immediately changed to one of pleasant surprise.
"Churen! You gave your auntie a scare. You always know how to make me happy. You’re the one who’s getting prettier and prettier! By the way, aren’t you working in Yangcheng? What brings you back all of a sudden?"
Wen Churen hugged her for a moment before letting go, grinning at the stall owner.
"It’s not just me. Yaqian is back, too."
Seeing the stall owner look her way, Wen Yaqian quickly smiled and waved.
Wen Churen continued her explanation,
"Isn’t the Wandering God festival early tomorrow morning?"
"My friend wanted to come visit, and we happened to have time off, so we hitched a ride with him and are acting as his guides."
Upon hearing this, the stall owner’s gaze immediately locked onto Li Xiao, who was standing beside Wen Yaqian.
The stall owner’s eyes lit up as she looked at the tall, handsome Li Xiao. She leaned close to Wen Churen’s ear and whispered,
"Churen, is that your boyfriend? Or Yaqian’s?"
"He’s so tall and handsome! You girls better hold on tight and not let some other little vixen snatch him away!"
"Oh, and where’s he from? Is he from Chaoshan, too? If not, I hope he doesn’t live too far away. Marrying someone from far away is never easy, you know!"
Wen Churen was left speechless by her aunt’s rapid-fire questions. She quickly explained,
"Auntie, don’t get the wrong idea! He’s just a regular friend, it’s not that kind of relationship!"
The two of them weren’t speaking loudly, but the stall was small.
Even though they were whispering, Li Xiao realized they were talking about him. Curious, he instinctively glanced over.
Just as Li Xiao looked over, a slightly sheepish Wen Churen happened to look up, and their eyes met.
For some reason, Wen Churen felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly patted her aunt’s shoulder, silently telling her to stop talking nonsense.
"Auntie, please stop. I brought my friend here specifically to try your food."
"What’s fresh right now? My friend has rarely had raw-marinated seafood, so you have to pick the freshest ingredients for him!"
Hearing this, the stall owner feigned displeasure and shot Wen Churen a reproachful glare.
"What kind of thing is that to say? How could I possibly have anything that’s not fresh at my stall? I sell out every single day!"
"This was all just brought in by the fishing boats. It’s been on shore for less than an hour—it couldn’t be fresher!"
A customer selecting ingredients nearby immediately nodded in agreement.
"Sister Huang, your raw-marinated seafood is the freshest I’ve ever had!"
"That’s right! I get an upset stomach when I eat raw-marinated seafood anywhere else, but I’m always fine after eating Sister Huang’s!"
"Everything here at Sister Huang’s is great! The raw-marinated seafood is fresh and cheap. The only problem is she never has enough. If you come too late, you can’t even get crab legs!"
...
After a bit more small talk, Wen Churen returned to Li Xiao’s side and explained,
"That’s one of my family’s aunties. She’s a master at making raw-marinated seafood and has been doing it for over a decade."
"My uncle is a fisherman, so she gets her supply direct from the source. All the freshest catches get sent straight to her stall."
"As long as you don’t eat too much, you’ll be perfectly fine!"
’So it’s a family-run business.’ His concerns about hygiene immediately faded.
’Even if there were hygiene issues, they’d definitely make it extra clean for family.’
With his worries assuaged, Li Xiao found himself growing more interested in the raw-marinated seafood before him.
After all, he had wanted to try it from the start; he was just concerned about the hygiene.
He took a couple of steps closer to the stall.
There was a surprisingly large variety of seafood on display.
Since the seafood was caught by their own family fisherman, the selection was eclectic, with all shapes and sizes.